


Circled in Alchemy

by Evil_Little_Dog



Series: Little Things [119]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Canon: Fullmetal Alchemist Manga, Community: fma_fic_contest, F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-15
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 14:30:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/762406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Little_Dog/pseuds/Evil_Little_Dog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary:  Ed hasn't made it to bed yet.<br/>Disclaimer:  Arakawa owns absolutely everything.  I just play here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Circled in Alchemy

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt for FMA_Fic_Contest was "inspired by a song". I chose Cyndi Lauper's _Time After Time_ , which is the ultimate Ed/Winry song, in my opinion.

The ticking of the clock was the only sound in the room besides her breath. The other side of the bed lay empty and cool. With a sigh, Winry climbed out of the bed, heading downstairs. 

The light on in the den let her know where Ed was – not that there was any doubt. His brow furrowed deeply; his ponytail askew, as if he’d pulled at it, or tried to run his hands through his hair and got caught on the tie. Books scattered around him on his desk, some opened; some closed, but marked with little scraps of paper. A notebook showed Ed’s work, the transmutation circles that always caught him up. Winry waited to see if Ed noticed her, and, when he didn’t, entered the room, laying her hands on his shoulders. “Do you know how late it is?”

Ed started, twisting around. Reddened eyes jerked up to meet hers before dropping. “Sorry.” His grin failed. Grabbing for the notebook, he flipped it closed. “I’ll be up soon.” 

Winry put her hands on the arms of his chair, caging him in. “What’s wrong?” 

Ed’s gaze shifted sideways, toward the notebook, the stack of books. “Nothing.”

“You’re a lousy liar.” 

His hands tightened into fists, trembling. “Winry,” he said, pleading.

“Ed.” She wasn’t about to let it go. “Don’t leave me behind this time. Don’t make me,” she shook her head, “look through windows, and wonder what’s going on because you won’t tell me.” 

Taking a deep breath, Ed said, “I can’t, Winry. I just…” His body sang with tension, a kind Winry recognized, making her take a reflexive step back. Ed exploded out of his chair. With a wordless growl, he swept the books off the desktop, sending them crashing to the floor. 

“Ed!”

He turned to her, teeth bared. “I can’t – gah!” Ed slammed his fists on the desk, the wood groaning under the impact. 

“Edward,” Winry folded her arms, “you’re not making any sense! How can I help you if I can’t understand what you’re saying?”

Breathing out through his teeth, Ed straightened his shoulders. “I gave up alchemy to get Al’s body back.” Winry nodded, Ed had explained it earlier. “But alchemy’s all I did, all I studied – damn it, it was everything for so long! I’m not an alchemist.” Reddened eyes met hers for a blazing second, then the fury faded. “I don’t know what I am any more.” 

Winry grabbed Ed’s shoulders, giving him a shake. “You idiot! How many times have I told you? Alchemy isn’t everything! There’s so much more to you than that – you’re brave and strong and, yeah, sometimes, you’re stupid, like now! But you can’t get lost in those circles any more.” Taking his hands, Winry squeezed them hard. “Let me lead you out of them.” 

This time, Ed managed a weak grin, his fingers moving in hers, lacing them together. “Don’t go too fast.” 

Smiling back, Winry tugged him out of the den. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> Though I wrote this story, I seriously _don't_ buy fanon's belief that Ed's miserable at giving away his alchemy to get Al's body back. Look at the smiles he keeps flashing - we don't see them at any other time in the series. He seems comfortable in his own skin, and _happy_. Yes, I believe there are issues that he has to deal with (and Al, too; even Winry didn't escape unscathed; her soul was sucked out of her body, after all!) - but those more would deal with PTSD than missing his alchemy. 
> 
> Would it be possible there might be scenes like this, in my headcanon? Maybe. But they would be fewer and more far between than could be expected.


End file.
